INTRODUCTION. 19 



Birds lay eggs, as everybody knows, but not every 

 bird builds a nest for their reception, as everybody 

 doesn't know. The vast majority of them are nest- 

 builders, if we include in that term those that merely 

 scratch a shallow pit in the ground and leave the 

 eggs among the pebbles. This may seem a good 

 deal like brutal indifference, but such eggs are very- 

 safe, because so hard to discover ; a great deal more 

 secure, indeed, than are those that are placed in large 

 nests, open at the top, and near the runs and general 

 pathways of both men and wild life. It must be re- 

 membered, too, that the birds that place their eggs 

 on the bare ground are not able to build nests in 

 trees, unless of so simple a pattern that they are about 

 worthless. There is a well-known little heron that 

 builds a nest of sticks placed criss-cross and not tied 

 together, or at least this amount of carelessness is 

 frequently seen ; and it is not uncommon for the 

 weak-kneed, helpless young birds to kick the struct- 

 ure all to pieces and be forced to sit on the nearest 

 branch until able to take care of themselves. I have 

 long been familiar with a heronry near my home, and 

 have found that by reason of this insecure nest-build- 

 ing a considerable number of young birds come to 

 grief. This spring-tide haunt of the little green herons 

 is in a swampy sink-hole well grown with small 

 birches, and the largest bull-frogs and snapping-tur- 

 tles and flesh-eating creatures generally are always 

 to be found here. Has the supply of unfortunate 

 young herons anything to do with it ? 



Of carefully-constructed birds' nests there is found, 

 in the United States an infinite variety, but in other 



